Material Salvage and Reuse Innovation Hub Project Update
By Nathanial Hooper, Project Coordinator
The Domicology team at the CCED, with support from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), has initiated a multiyear scope of work that:
- Conducts pioneering research on value added reuses of salvaged wood (organic) products present in abandoned structures to bring that material back into the marketplace; and is
- Creating a statewide salvage/reuse business accelerator called the Material Salvage and Reuse Innovation (MSRI) Hub that will provide strategic training, technical assistance, and networking to improve the viability of this nascent industry sector and expand businesses’ recycling markets for salvaged materials.
Though the MSRI Hub team has shifted to working entirely remotely, our efforts to serve the needs of the reuse economy in Michigan continue. Per an ongoing business needs survey, our team has worked with a variety of stakeholders to identify various training needs that are of relevance to reuse businesses. These include, but are not limited to, topics such as social media, marketing, online sales, and access to capital. Our team is busy working with training partners in our Technical Assistance (TA) network to create webinars and other guides to help address these business needs in our sector.
In addition to the development of these trainings, the team has been busy engaging with other reuse stakeholders to conduct targeted student led, faculty guided TA projects to help address real-world challenges and encourage growth of businesses and other organizations in this sector. Topics being pursued via these projects include but are not limited to: assisting in pilot studies of reusing reground tar shingle in road surface products; assisting a school district to develop liability protection practices for donating used materials; and assisting a deconstruction business in addressing workforce development related challenges.
If you know of a business that you think should take this survey, or if you would like to become involved in our statewide TA network or have any thoughts or questions you would like to share, please feel free to contact hooperna@msu.edu